Tom Oliphant is set to race a Lynk & Co 03 TCR this season as the Chinese-Swedish mobility brand, formed as a joint venture between Geely Auto Group and Volvo Car Group, joins the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series during the 2023 season.
Autoglym Team ASM (Ashley Seward Motorsport) will represent the brand in TCR Australia following the acquisition of a Lynk & Co 03 TCR racecar, which is currently en-route to Australia from Geely Group Motorsport's headquarters in Silverstone, United Kingdom.
ASM is expected to take delivery of its first Lynk & Co 03 TCR in time for a competition debut at the second round of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series at Phillip Island in May.
Established in China in 2016, Lynk & Co has quickly grown as an innovative and disruptive brand in the global automotive industry. The brand plans to enter the Australian car industry in coming years.
ASM will receive customer racing support directly from Geely Group Motorsport. The 03 TCR chassis ASM will acquire is an ex-Cyan Racing car previously raced in the FIA WTCR World Touring Car Cup, which has had a thorough rebuild ahead of its Australian competition life.
Lynk & Co has enjoyed international success in TCR, winning back-to-back WTCR drivers’ titles with French driver Yann Ehrlacher in 2020 and 2021, and also achieving a hat-trick of Teams’ Championships from 2019-2021.
The 03 TCR tasted success in TCR Asia where David Zhu led a Shell Teamwork Lynk & Co Racing 1-2, and also won the 2022 TCR South America title with Fabricio Pezzini.
Tom Oliphant: “I’m ecstatic to be getting the opportunity to race the Lynk & Co 03 TCR. The car has had phenomenal success around the world in recent years, so to be able to drive the first one coming to Australia is very exciting.
“It’s clear what the car is capable of, so with the benefit of direct support from Geely Group Motorsport, I’m confident that myself and Autoglym Team ASM can be enjoy a successful season with the Lynk & Co.”
Ashley Seward – Team Principal, Autoglym Team ASM: “We are proud to announce a significant new partnership with Geely Group Motorsport which will see Lynk & Co enter TCR Australia with our team.
“We have been working with Geely Group Motorsport for some time on this project and they have been great to deal with throughout. We believe Lynk & Co offers the best TCR customer program in the world and have no doubt we can add to the success the brand has had in the highest levels of TCR globally.
“We feel that Lynk & Co, with our new driver Tom Oliphant and our valued sponsor Autoglym, will be a formidable combination and we can’t wait to get the car to Australia and out on track.”